First riders experience ring°racer

The first riders have been experiencing the world's fastest rollercoaster, ring°racer - but not yet at full speed.

The coaster, at at the Nürburgring race track in Germany, is due to open officially on August 15. However, in order to test the launch system that will propel the ride into the record books, preview events have been held over last week - with the ride running at a slower speed of around 87mph rather than 135mph that it will eventually reach.

Themed around Formula 1 (the motorsport that holds a Grand Prix every year at Nürburgring), ring°racer will reach its top speed in just 2.5 seconds. Manufactured by S&S power, it will take the record of fastest rollercoaster ever built from Kingka Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure.

You can see the ride in action in the embedded video below.

You can keep up to date with the latest confirmed and rumored opening dates for new attractions over at Theme Park Tourist's "New Attraction Watch" section.